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Cork Elms line Woodside Ave., looking east from
Channel Rd. c. 1940's
"Lakeside Hope For Arch Of Trees Destroyed"
6/28/1946
"HALT"
8/8/1957
"Old Landmark Fades Away"
E. R. Kouns, H. O. Barnett, Flossie Beadle & Mary Schadt
Essay by Flossie, 1956
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The
beautiful archway of Cork Elms at the west entrance to lakeside is believed to
be the only lane of these huge old trees in the United States. They were planted on Arbor Day of 1893 by the pupils of the first school in
lakeside. The trees had been imported from Australia
by the El Cajon
land Company.
Spreading
branches of these historic old cork trees formed an archway of scenic beauty
over Woodside
Avenue. Their cool inviting shade has welcomed the traveler to lakeside since
the horse and buggy days.
In
their native country, Australia, the cork bark grows much thicker and is used commercially. Only a limited area
of bark is harvested periodically and the harvest does not injure the tree. They
are unique in the fact that they bear no flowers or seeds, but propagate
themselves by offshoots from the roots -- if left alone they would soon have
become a veritable jungle. A few of these shoots have been planted in
Lakeside
and were growing into fine trees. A plan was formulated whereby this growth
could be saved and given to those who would plant them on their properties.
Since
about 1917, a large nursery in Oneca,
Florida
had been importing these Cork Elms from Australia, and they were being planted throughout the south. However, it has been learned
that those trees have not grown to the size of the Lakeside Cork Elms.
In
the past these cork trees have been mutilated and threatened with destruction
many times. For many years it had been the practice of the Gas and Electric
Company to top about ten feet from the south lane of trees, giving them a hedge-like
appearance. However, in 1946, the citizens of
Lakeside, with the aid of public officials, persuaded the Gas and Electric Company to
move their power lines to a different location. After that, the trees again grew
into a beautiful archway.
Originally
there were about fifty trees on each side of
Woodside Avenue. On
February 6, 1956, seven of the beautiful old shade trees were cut down from the south lane for
entrance to a proposed shopping center (Safeway/Vons). Previously the promoter had
made many promises that the trees would be preserved as an asset to the shopping
center.
In 1967, the last of the Cork Elms were cut-down.
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